Kent Cornucopia Days, hosted by the Lions Club, is an annual celebration that takes place in July and features entertainment, food, a street fair, carnival, parade, and the popular Dragon Boat Races. This celebration is Kent’s oldest continuing event and the largest street fair in the Northwest.

The Fourth of July Celebration at Lake Meridian features family entertainment, athletic activities and games, community projects, music, craft booths, food vendors, fireworks and much more.

The Kent International Festival takes place in June and is a celebration of the cultural diversity represented in the community and its residents. The festival showcases the region’s ethnic dance, musical performances, spectacular native attire, arts and crafts booths and delicious authentic cuisine.

The City of Kent sponsors the Summer Concert Series of free concerts by regional and national performers. Shows include family performances on Thursday evenings, children’s concerts on Wednesdays, and lunch hour performances on Tuesdays in downtown Kent. These presentations of music, dance and theater are held in four of Kent’s most beautiful parks.

The Greater Kent Historical Society Museum, located in the Bereiter House, is one of Kent’s oldest and fi nest homes – a 1908 Craftsman-style, three-story house with carriage entry. The home is furnished with period furniture and an extensive gallery of local historical artifacts.

The Kent Valley Ice Center is located at the northeast corner of Russell Road Park and James Street. This 58,500-square-foot arena includes two National Hockey League regulation-size rinks, a 4,000-square-foot interactive game room, the largest pro shop in the Northwest, ten over-sized locker rooms, private party rooms, a restaurant overlooking the ice, offices, and ballet and weight-training rooms.

The Kent Arts Commission performance season runs from October through May and includes annual performances of The Nutcracker and Magical Strings Celtic Yuletide Concerts. National touring theater companies and a variety of musicians from around the country round out each season.

ShoWare Center is a beautiful, state-of-the-art arena in downtown Kent. The home of the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. ShoWare Center hosts numerous events throughout the year including fabulous concerts, comedy, Business Expos, banquets and more. In the fall of 2012, ShoWare Center hosted the Skate America event, which is the first stop of the Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The event brought thousands of people to Kent and millions of dollars in revenue to our local businesses.

Emerald Downs horse racetrack in Auburn is a 166-acre facility offering five months of live racing on its one-mile oval track from April through October. They also offer full card simulcasting from tracks around the nation year-round.

The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, located in Kent, features a collection of vintage hydroplanes spanning seven decades, including boats that won 17 Gold Cups. Learn about the history of hydroplane racing and famous drivers dating back to the turn of the last century.

Pacific Raceways is a legendary motorsports facility located in Kent. The family-owned business opened in 1960 to provide a safe, controlled environment for racing. The unique 2.25 mile, nine-turn road course has hosted some of the world’s most notable international drivers, who favored the circuit’s quick elevation change of 110 feet in less than one-half mile. In addition to its many race events on both the road course and drag strip, Pacific Raceways is a training ground for law enforcement agencies throughout the Northwest, who rent the facility to practice pursuit driving. Pacific Raceways is also home
to ProFormance Racing School and Pacific Grand Prix.

The Kent Event Center is a new facility opened on the East Hill of Kent. It is 6,900 square feet and can accommodate 400 guests and large private parties. It has plenty of parking, a dance floor and stage.